Low carb dilema advice required please

[scottydog]

Hi folks

Sorry if asking already covered questions. I dont have a blood suger machine but i was 8.4 last week as some will be aware of. I have been trying to be very low carb by avoiding bread, cereals, potatoes but i am struggling with that prospect mainly in the morning i can cope no problems with lunch and dinner with confidence and dont feel hungry. I am aware breakfast is an issue for others. Not wanting to bore people.
Here are a few questions that have arisen.

I had not considered the carbs in what i saw as acceptable foods ie-
* Apple's 7carbs
* Yogurt cant find one under 10 carbs
* Porridge (which i considered healthy) 45g=27carbs
* Brown bread 14 carbs upwards

I know this is not news to you die hards out there.
I became aware of this when i borrowed a GI book from the library and it was obvious i require more education on the basics of foods i thought were ok, this is a big re education from the 15yrs i have spent thinking low fat and calories to shed a long battle with excess weight.

After discussion and trying to work out what to do for best, do i opt for from no obvious carbs like bread pasta potatoes etc and just accept the hidden carbs that will be present in food.
I can see im going down my all or nothing trait, supose im asking what your thoughts are.
I know the answer im gonna get it all depends how I react to the above products and what affects others is very individual.

Sorry for stating the obvious but im just finding my feet and trying to make sense of it all.
My surgery wont provide me with a testing kit as the diabetes nurse said they feel it is not productive for a person to be testing all the time.
I just want to find out what foods are compatable to me and my blood sugers as i am taking this very seriously. I will be purchasing a tester kit soon and im sure it will help considerably.

Thanks in antisipation
Andrene

 

[cugila]

Hi Andrene,

We are a bit confused here ? Your previous posts show lots of conflicting information. Can you clarify what is the correct information for us. You say you don't have a meter yet you have given us Bg levels for various times of the day ? We can advise when it is clear what we are looking at ?

Ken.

 

[scottydog]

I had access to a machine last weekend as my friend was visiting hence why i was able to give you that reading sorry if i did not make that clear.

What other conflicting points were you refering to so i can answer them.

Sorry if i have not made myself clear.


Andrene

 

[cugila]

Hi Andrene.

Thanks for that. We appear to have given out advice previously in the other threads you have posted in. We do not want to duplicate that information. You need to get yourself a meter and test strips ASAP and then start testing, whatever the Nurse or GP thinks !

You will need to test on waking, then before meals, 1 and 2 hrs after meals then possibly a test before bedtime. At the same time keep a food diary of what you eat so that you can relate one to the other. In that way you will see exactly what various foods do to your Bg levels.

As regards what those levels should be, here are the guideline figures for a T2 Diabetic to aim for:
Fasting (waking)...................between 4 - 7 mmol/l.
2 hrs after meals..................no more than 8.5 mmol/l.
If you can get the after meal (post prandial) numbers lower then so much the better.

Ken.

 

[scottydog]

Thanks for that Ken that makes sense, sometimes its easy to get lost amongst it all.

Much appreciated.


Andrene

 

[Sid Bonkers]

Hi Andrene,

I don't low carb, well I do but only to the point of about 90g a day which most people on here don't consider low carb But breakfast is the one meal that like you I struggle with, I have gone from Branflakes through various toasted breads, either on there own or with scrambled egg to 1/2 a grapefruit which people on statins cant eat and I have also read that grapefruit is thought by some to cause damage to the pancreas

At the moment I usually swap between
1/2 a grapefruit = 7g carbs
and
scrambled egg on toast (Burgen Low GI soya & Linsead Loaf) 1 slice = 11.9g carbs

Even relatively low amounts of carbs affect me more in the morning than later in the day, I think that is quite common too.

I'm sure some of the proper low carbers will be able to suggest lower carb alternatives

 

[scottydog]

Thanks sid ,

i will discover what affects it has on my morning carbs when i get a BS testing kit which i hope to do today.

I went to a health food shop and puchased the loaf you mentioned(linseed one) :shock: not for me on two fronts, hated the taste YUCK although my partner thought it was ok and the it cost £3 which on a budget is a bit steep.
But at least i gave it a bash i alternativly checked out the supermarket and the carbs on all the brown loaves and settled on a small brown that i keep in the freezer which is not through the roof on the carb front.

As Ken said i cant really know what im dealing with until i am armed with the facts of my BS.

I dont like the idea that the doctors surgery are no longer suppling them which i would assume is mostly down to finacial resons i suspect.
Hows a person to assess all these factors as to what works for them in the begining if they dont have a kit.

Andrene

 

[Sid Bonkers]

I went to a health food shop and puchased the loaf you mentioned(linseed one) :shock: not for me on two fronts, hated the taste YUCK although my partner thought it was ok and the it cost £3 which on a budget is a bit steep.

£3.00 :shock: I buy it from the supermarket, they all sell it, Sainsburys £1.20, Tesco's £1.11. But if you don't like it thats not much help :lol:

Whether you low carb or no carb you still have to watch what you eat, carb wise. I can't get my head around why the NHS doesn't get this

Surely the cost of test strips is cheaper in the long run than treating complications later down the line.
GP's tend to quote research that shows that testing doesn't make any difference, but it does to people who are prepared to change their lifestyles in order to prevent complications, not every diabetic refuses to take responsibility for their condition. This really is a very short sighted approach to medical care, If a patient asks to self test surely that shows a willingness to change their diet doesn't it?

OK rant over :lol:

 

[hanadr]

Adrene
You seem to me to be struggling with the idea if the" Healthy Balanced diet", which for diabetics ISN'T
Yogurt without sugar is not easy, I think that Muller Light is genuinely low, but I buy Natural Greek yogurt, made from full fat milk, Phage is the brand you see everywhere. It has NO added sugar. If you want to add berries or chopped pieces of fruit, you can control the carbs that way. Or even a few grains of Splenda
You don't need to control the fats very much.
I would say, You NEED the Meter and strips and couold use a good food scale to weigh portions.
Download the NICE Guidelines and take them to your doctor and ask why you don't have blood testing equipment in the learning stages. Perhaps ask him for Glucoflex-R. It's cheaper than meter strips. You'd need a stabber to go with it.
Ask your doctor how he expects you to control your blood sugar if you don't know what it's doing. If youd don't get a satisfactory answer, contact your PCT through your local PALS group. Addresses are online.

 

[Homer]

Andrene
Weight watchers do low fat yoghurts which are about 8gms Carbs per 100gm Yoghurt various flavours. They come in 120gms tubs, watch other yoghurts as many of them are 175gms with about 15gms per 100gms of carbs.

 

[Vikingepigen]

I am another one who has found Lidl's Greek Style Yogurt fantastic - just love it and at £1.95 for a 1kg tub, easy on a tight budget!

As for bread, I have had troubles with that too - but have found Nimble brown bread great and at well under £1 per loaf, which can be purchased in most supermarket, good value. Each slice is approx 8 carbs and 48 cals - and as I only can have two slices of any bread on any one day, this is a great tasting alternative to "regular" breads.

And yes, I know - I have been going on about Nimble recently, but I promise I do not have shares or any vested interest!! I am just VERY happy to have found a bread which does not send my Bg through the roof and fairly low carb too. Bear with me on this one, please!!


Alice

 

[Romola]

Thanks for that recommendation, Vikingpigen.

I can manage one slice of normal wholemeal without getting problem bg readings - but it would be nice to make a sandwich from time to time for a packed lunch, which should be possible with Nimble.

I have added it to my supermarket order.


As for breakfasts - I find I do well on Alara muesli mixed with some fat free Greek Yoghurt.
Not a carb free brekkie - but it fits into my low glycemic load approach.

http://www.alara.co.uk/index.php?action=products

 

[scottydog]

Thanks for your advice folks.

I have made an appointment with the nurse for tomorrow and im going to plead my case for a testing kit, wish me luck lol i am ready armed with much disscussions for , i will keep you posted as to my success.

I have hidden my scales (from myself) lol ye i know. Scales are no longer important, honest. Its not all about weight.
I am trusting the process that if i continue low carbing my weight will gradually decrease. Its a female thing.

Andrene

 

[scottydog]

Hi all,
Following my previous posts i went to the docs this afternoon and asked thenurse for a blood suger machine, she did eventualy say yes she could give me the machine with 10 strip's but i would have to purchase my own and would not be able to get them on prescrition. She openely admited that it was down to cost. I only plan to use my machine till i settle down with what carbs work for me or dont as the case maybe.

I can now have a record of my BS and start to take control. My first reading after a no carb salad lunch was 6.6. Iv not long had my dinner i will do my sugers in an hour .

Went for my first meeting with the leisure centre as i was refered by my doctor so things starting to move and feeling more in control of my life than i have been for a long time.


Andrene

 

[yipster29]

Well done Andrene, great step in the right direction